The largest mass shooting in modern history
murders 50 and injures many more,
and while we do send thoughts and prayers to Orlando
it’s also clear thoughts and prayers just aren’t enough.

We could end vitriol against the LGBTQ community
which was the target of the attack.
We could tackle the fast-killing assault weapons
which have no place in our homes, towns and cities.

We can tighten background checks,
invest more in mental health screening and support,
— or we could do all of the above and more.

Yet, the NRA calls for more guns,
the GOP nominee calls to ban Muslims,
and even the Dems who mount a vigorous filibuster
focus a poor strategy on the flawed “watch list”
—not believing they can take on assault weapons.

People in Orlando and around the country grieve
donate, volunteer, demand & stand in solidarity.
We are overwhelmed and we are outraged.

But Politicians on the right give outrageous responses
and on the left are outrageously unable to find
an opportunity for progress in this overwhelming moment.

We’re all overwhelmed. We’re all outraged.
We all stand with Orlando.
But solidarity, like thoughts and prayers, still isn’t enough.

Share your reflections, reactions, ideas for actions,
as you share liberal drinks and share liberal values
at your local progressive social club.

It's reported that Donald Trump's greatest grief
is that the greedy grubber's not as rich as he wishes
and he's hiding his tax returns to hide the fact
that he's not broke, but he's no billionaire either.

Trump University was a broken promise,
leaving students broke and broken
as more revelations of the fraud break each day.

Trump pitches bankrupt values
and a broken mess of bankrupting policies
as he breaks every rule of democratic discourse
with a campaign that's reportedly close to broke.

Yes, his broke campaign isn't broken,
as he surges in polls, dominates the news
and this broken broke bloke breaks out
threatening to break our democracy.

He's so broke, he might break us all.

Break out of political despair
as you break into lively political conversation
at your local progressive social club.

Liberals call North Carolina's "bathroom bill" bigotry
and praise the president's pro-transgender policy.
Conservatives accuse Obama of imperial overreach
while bolting to get more states into the bathroom business.

Liberals see the new overtime regulations
as a much-needed boost to hard-working Americans.
Conservatives call it job-killing tyranny.

Liberals see in Trump an unqualified charlatan,
ill-suited, intemperate, in bed with racists and xenophobes.
Republicans see their next nominee
and with surprising speed unify behind their standard-bearer.

Liberals and conservatives always have different opinions.
But sometimes, it feels like we live on different planets.

Who knew how many ways one could look
at bathrooms, bigots and bullies?
And just how much BS each could inspire?

Trump offers competing visions for America —
that compete with Democrats, with Republicans,
and even competes with his own visions
that he’d stated just days before.

The Bushes and some senators peel off from Trump,
Paul Ryan backs away, then backtracks forward,
and many Republicans leaders try to avoid
admitting if they’ll back the Republican nominee.

And yet, Democrats, don’t be gleeful —
because Republican voters seem less divided
than the elected officials of their party,
and have unified behind Trump in recent polls
more quickly than anyone envisioned.

Are we on the brink of Republican division,
or might we fall prey to a Republican vision
of winning the White House behind a bigoted bully
who will give our nominee a run for the money?

An election year full of surprises
as candidates eye the highest prizes.

Get away from it all, and get in good company
as you share your visions and libations
at your local progressive social club.

The uprising in the Republican base
upended every establishment pick,
upset hard-core conservative contenders
and upped an offensive, obnoxious egomaniac
into a national presidential nomination.

Indiana’s answer to “Hoosier candidate?”
was the end of the charmless campaign
of the vile, venomous, creepy-crawly Cruz,
whose own colleagues were more likely
to rise up against him than stand up for him.

And the winning rodent in the Republican rat-race
bashes women, immigrants, Muslims,
says wages are too high and walls are too low
and is a media-bloated bigoted billionaire
who somehow claims to be the “outsider.”

The Republican voters may have revolted,
but their solution has proved every bit as revolting
as the ridiculous, reprehensible right wingers
they thought they were rebelling against.

Meanwhile, Bernie wins another state,
Hillary closes in on winning the nation,
and all Dems who want to win November
better prep for the bulldozer the GOP couldn’t stop.

Catharsis or concern, adrenalized of anxious,
share reactions, provocations and libations
at your local progressive social club.